Are you fed up with straining your thighs when pumping up a car tyre with a foot pump?An electric tyre pump can really take the thigh-busting strain out of inflating a completely flat car tyre, as well as saving you time.
Powered by a 12V socket as found in most cars, an electric tyre pump will make the job of inflating your tyres both quicker and easier. Most electric pumps will have a digital gauge to select the required pressure, allowing you to just plug the pump into the tyre, press some buttons and then sit back and wait.
They make regular tyre maintenance a breeze, and if you ever find yourself on the hard shoulder on a dark and rainy night with a flat spare tyre you’ll really appreciate the convenience.
Wouldn’t you rather have an electric tyre pump waiting in your boot for emergencies, rather than frantically pumping away on a foot pump with your back towards busy traffic?
A great example of an electric tyre pump is Halford’s new Advanced Tyre Inflator which has two pumps and a removable digital pressure gauge. One of the pumps is a high-pressure blower for use on vehicles, while the other pump is low-pressure but high-volume – great for inflating an airbed or dinghy without fear of it exploding! The high pressure pump will inflate a completely flat tyre in under four minutes, and once the required pressure is reached the pump will automatically stop.
If you’re after an electric tyre pump with more of a known brand name then you should consider the Michelin Hi Power Rapid Inflator. It features larger buttons and digital display for ease of use, and is capable of inflating a car tyre in under three mintes. Michelin have worked hard to make it as quiet as possible, and this is one of the reasons it recently won a coveted ‘Auto Express Recommended’ award.
You can also look at Amazon for similar products. The advantage of Amazon is that there’s a wide range of products to choose from and you get the benefit of seeing product reviews from buyers. I found the pump you see pictured on the left for under £20 and rated at 4 stars out of 5. It features a 3m power cord, a 660mm hose and can handle pressures of up to 120psi.
Don’t forget that correctly inflating your tyres means you can save money in a number of ways while also easing your environmental conscience:
better grip, as the tyre profile sits correctly on the road surface
longer tyre life, as the walls of incorrectly inflated tyres are subject to more stress
better fuel economy, as rolling resistance is higher on an under-inflated tyre
reduced CO2 emissions, as better fuel economy means fewer harmful gasses out of your exhaust
What more reason would you need to buy an electric tyre pump?
